A New Way to Reserve an Airline Seat

Did you know that you can now put airline tickets on hold for up to three weeks?

Did you know that you can now put airline tickets on hold for up to three weeks, so you have time to finalize your trip plans before committing to purchasing the tickets? It's thanks to a new Web site called Options Away. The service allows you to lock in a good air fare, then take the time you need to ask your boss if you can have the days off, see if your travel companions can clear their schedules, find a hotel you like that has availability on those dates, and do everything else you need to do to make sure your trip is going to come together right.

You can even hold several flights at once, until you figure out which one works best for you. The fee for holding the tickets is low—usually from $4 for 3 days to $36 for three weeks—and, if it turns out you don't want the tickets after all, there's no penalty to pay. Right now you can hold tickets only on domestic flights, but Canada and Mexico are apparently coming soon, with more international destinations to be added after that. It's about time!